Black Leopard - 'Zeus'

This is ZEUS. He is a 14 year old Black Leopard, also known as a "Melanistic" or "Black Panther." Leopards can be born either black or spotted in the same litter. If you were able to look close enough at Zeus, you would see the rosette spots on his body. Zeus is a very special cat because he was born with a heart condition. The facility where he was born wasn't equipped to take care of his special needs, so he came to us. When he arrived here he was only 5 pounds at 8 weeks of age and wasn't expected to survive. But as you can see, Zeus is now a happy, healthy cat, weighing in at a whopping 210 pounds. He's actually a little large for a leopard.

Leopards are found in India, Asia, and Africa and they hunt wildebeest, impala, gazelle, hares, rodents and many other small animals. These cats drag their prey, sometimes three times their own size, up into trees to keep other animals, such as lions and hyenas, from stealing it. Leopards have very powerful limbs and necks which enable them to carry such a heavy load. They use their long tails to balance themselves while climbing.